


The Sugar Hiding Poison

by KillerKissed



Category: Original Work, exophilia - Fandom, teratophilia - Fandom
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Branding, Content, Death, Erotica, F/M, Fic, Fiction, Gang Violence, Gangs, Mermaids, Monster - Freeform, Monsters, Other, Porn, Porn With Plot, Recreational Drug Use, Science Experiments, Slime, Smut, Tiefling, Toxic Relationship, Toxic love, Violence, darkcontent, degration, dubcon, emotionally manipulatie, minor sexual abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:01:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29257890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KillerKissed/pseuds/KillerKissed
Summary: You’re new to this side of town. It’s a perfect spot for your future grand plans! But what happens when things go south? There’s the mysterious neighbor next door who has the solution to problems. Will he help you or haunt you? Do you trust this man who’s so obviously not a good guy? You’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.Note: ⚠️ This will involve a lot of dark content. Mature content will include but is not limited to at this time: small portion of sexual abuse, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, toxic relationship, death, blood, violence, angst, branding, degradation, dumbification, emotionally manipulation, cheating and more which does not include the list of kinks a mile long.This is a exophilia story with a female reader and a science experiment.
Relationships: Original Male Character/Reader, female reader - Relationship
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

“Welcome to Manor East! As included in your original walk-through of the home, this is an old Victorian era manor that has been renovated to modernize it along with turning many of the rooms into full fledged apartments. This packet includes all the information on it.” The landlord handed you a full pamphlet and pointed towards the door that led directly to the left when you entered the large home. “This community is mostly filled with the older style of homes. It’s a safe, clean suburb. You got lucky, this was the last one available anywhere within a 30 minute drive of the city.” 

“Thank you so much!” You took the keys they were handing out and opened the door to it. It was a breath of fresh air to find somewhere this nice for the price range you had in mind. “I’ll just sign the paperwork real quick.” 

“Take your time.” They nodded to you. “I’m glad you were able to come today. These apartments tend to get snatched up. The last tenant left quickly.” 

“What a shame. It’s a beautiful apartment.” You scribbled your name down and smiled, handing the papers back. 

“Have a good day, miss.” 

You watched them walk out and close the door behind themselves. As soon as they were gone, you squealed and bounced around looking at your new surroundings. You had put yourself through school and got lucky enough that a scholarship had done most of the heavy lifting. You were a semester away from finishing with your dream job on the horizon. You were fortunate enough that any money you had left was the perfect amount to live by yourself before the job started. You had budgeted meticulously. You’d be living a very much less-than-luxurious lifestyle but you’d be happy living by yourself. No parents, roommates, or anyone to harass your mental state. You stood at the door and looked at your new apartment. It was fully furnished so you had to add just your personal touches. You smiled to see the open floor plan where the small living room was close to the kitchen. There was a tiny walkway at the door for your shoes and a table for your mail and keys. Off to the right, it would veer off to the bedroom.

You entered the room and directly went to the window. It was a view of your neighbor’s house. It looked kept up but no personal touches. The windows in your living room would outlook the streets. It was kind of nice having a ground floor living space. You turned and dropped your belongings off on the counter before going back out towards your car. It was time to start unpacking. 

“Do you need help?” You jumped at the voice and turned to see a handsome young man with fire red skin, a tiefling. You smiled, the thrill of a good looking guy always was a shot of adrenaline. His horns were jagged and pointed in front of him like a bull. He had a heavy looking gold, nose ring but that was the only accessory that stood out. He looked to be roughly six foot or so, much taller than you either way. 

“Yes, please. Do you live here?” You asked, moving back from the trunk to allow him room to move. 

The strong demon moved to grab a box before stacking another on top, his muscles flexing under a neatly fitted shirt. “I’m Aetvir. I live in the upstairs apartment directly above you! It’s nice to meet you.” He flashed a grin, his joy glistening in his amber eyes. 

You introduced yourself as well. “Nice to meet you too. Thank you so much for helping but please don’t strain yourself just for me!” 

He gave you a wink. “I got this. You see these guns? I can handle anything you throw my way, sugar.” 

You followed him in and started making idle chatter as you two got into a rhythm. His long, thin demonic tail swayed behind him as you glanced towards the butt on this guy. “What do you do?” 

“I’m in the National Guard currently but I’ll be removing myself from that soon. I plan to go to school this coming year and start working towards a criminology major.” 

“That’s amazing! You’re so...built, I guess is the right word without being creepy.” You laughed at yourself. “I guess that’s why.” 

“Oh, you know it.” He flexed his arms and made you laugh. “I’ll protect you no matter what. I’m part of the neighborhood watch.” 

“I believe you.” More conversation came up before you got on the topic of the other tenants. “How many people live here?” 

“Only four. This is actually on the small side for the word manor. It talks about it in the pamphlet how they renovated it and pretty much cut the house into four quadrants. I think it’s pretty sick how we all have our own tiny homes plus the gazebo that’s attached to the front of the porch. I know that they like modernized all the places but you can still find like bits and pieces of the old style still there.” 

“That’s really neat. I haven’t got to read the pamphlet yet. Do you know who else lives here?” 

“There’s Octavia who’s a total party girl. She’s a great person though. Then there’s my workout buddy, Egusa. He’s my best friend! He’s on the bottom floor with you. He’s a little rough around the edges but he’s a good guy. Octavia’s going to love you though. The last girl totally dipped out on her and I think she feels lonely without more girls in her life. We’re like a little family here. Octavia’s been here the longest so she knows everything that goes on around here.” 

“I’m sure we’ll become fast friends!” You smiled brightly. 

Aetvir grinned your way. “I’ll tell her! She’ll probably drag you out immediately after finding out there’s a new girl.” He ran a hand through the top of his hair which was the only hair he really had with how short his military cut was. 

“It’ll be fine. Maybe I need some spice in my life.” You dropped off the last box in your apartment and he stood at your door with a happy look on his face. 

“I’ll leave you to pack but you definitely owe me for helping you.” 

You giggled and leaned on the door with a piece of hair twirling in your fingers. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll buy you a big, fat juicy steak once I’m fully done packing.” 

“Oh, girl.” He put a hand to his chest and whistled. “Don’t play with me like that or I’ll fall in love with you.” 

“Mama always said a way to a man’s heart is his stomach.” You winked. “We’ll make it a date. I’ll treat you real good.” 

Aetvir gave a belly-shaking laugh. “I’m going to remember this! I’ll be waiting for my supper.” 

“You better!” You waved at him and began to close the door. 

“Have a good evening.” He called to you as it sounded like he was leaving. 

He was really cute, you thought to yourself as you got your hair off your face. You stared at all the boxes in your living room before just digging in. The light of day slowly started to disappear. Soon you were scrambling to your walls to find light switches. You came to the window that looked out towards the neighbor’s house. You saw the faint orange glow of a light in the dark. You stopped to a moment, taking the silence of the evening in as you hadn’t realized how long you had been packing. The shadow of the neighbor moved in the darkness as they came out on their front porch into the last deep reds and purples of the day. The sun just barely kissed them goodbye as you watched their head lazily nod off into the direction of the manor and you then witnessed the bluest eyes in all of creation. 

You were frozen in your spot like it was a power of some sort, like he maybe knew you were watching all along and allowed you to have this viewing pleasure. The darkness enveloped them as light of day gave way to the mother of the night and you didn’t realize now how long you’ve been in this one spot. The neighbor just seems to keep watching you. It’s creepy now, right? The neighbor isn’t the creeper, you are. You’re like some voyeuristic stalker, staring longingly out the window at some poor person. You snapped out of it and gave a shy little wave before turning away as the heat of embarrassment clawed its way to your ears and face. Maybe you wouldn’t see them again or they wouldn’t know it was you. Your fingers skimmed a wall and finally illuminated your new home before you went and started closing all the blinds. You came back to the window you were at before and looked again. As if the night called to them, several cars had showed up to the house now. It seemed to be spilling out with people. “A party?” You spoke to yourself, clearing your throat since you hadn’t spoken in a long time. You moved towards the kitchen to get a glass of water when a knock hit your door. You turned to look at it as you brought the liquid to your mouth as little knocks began to pepper your door more. You almost laughed. It was such a little kid action. 

You went to the door and swung it open to see a beautiful pink slime girl standing there, clapping her hands together as you opened the door. “Hello! I’m your upstairs neighbor. Aetvir told you had moved in. I’m so excited! The last neighbor was fun but she left and now you’re here!” She came and hugged you immediately, her enthusiasm becoming infectious. She smelled sweet like candy. You gave a small hug back which was a lot for you and she seemed overjoyed. “I’m Octavia, Aetvir told me your name. I know you just moved in but don’t you want to test your first night here?” 

“Test my night?” 

“Yes!” She pointed to the front door. “The guy next door throws a lot of parties. Let’s go and make your first night here amazing!” 

You were cautious. Parties with strangers wasn’t really your thing. “Oh, Octavia...I’m not exactly ready to party.” 

She waved her hand at you. “I can gussy you up. I’ll text A and see if he wants to come. We’ve got to do it.” 

Her confidence radiated out. “And you’re going to get me ready?” You asked, already knowing the answer. She was the sober version of a drunk girl in a bathroom. 

“Yep!” She winked at you and pointed upstairs. “Let me get some stuff from my apartment and we’ll be good to go.” 

You had to admit, it would be nice to enjoy a wild evening. Octavia didn’t give you any horrible gut feelings and you felt good about Aetvir. “Fine but don’t make fun of me when I want to go to bed at 10pm.” 

She laughed hard and hugged you again. “I’m so excited!” 

You watched her bounce off and as she left, the realization of what you agreed to hits you. You swing around and gasp, staring at the wall which you know faces the neighbor’s house. The realization of the earlier incident comes flooding back and you frown. You had literally just been thinking of not wanting to see the neighbor. The embarrassment comes flooding back. You were probably really overthinking it but how couldn’t you? You weren’t a party girl. 

You moved forward and placed your water glass down. Now you're just plain nervous. It’s kind of silly to be like this, you think to yourself. A simple party could never change your life. 

“They say you meet your soulmate within these years.” Octavia comes running back in and grabbing you, yanking you towards your own bedroom. It’s funny how strangers can know your layout better than you do. “Maybe you’ll meet someone and just fall head over heels.” 

“You think?” You laughed at the idea and sat on the bed as she flung her makeup, accessories, and some random articles of clothing. 

“Oh, yeah! Maybe you’ll meet a total sweet pie.” She went to the boxes marked ‘closet’ and began digging. “I do need to warn you.” 

“That never sounds good.” You looked her way as she began to fling things out of their cardboard prisons. 

“Don’t...take anything, okay? Watch your drink of course but parties next door seem to be a little...sketchy.”

“Like drugs?.” 

She turned and looked at you. “The drugs they sell are hard. Also, don’t get too close to any of the crew.” 

“Crew?” 

She pulled out a fun outfit that accentuated all the right spots on you. “You’ll know them when you see them. But after all the doom and gloom talk, just have fun!” 

You watched as she came over and stood in front of you, working with your hair and face. “So, what happened to the girl that lived here before me?” 

She tapped the side of a makeup brush on her palette and looked down to you with a softness in her features. “Just don’t fall in love with a bad boy.”


	2. Chapter 2

People seemed to be on a continuous cycle of in and out with this house. The lights were changing colors and flashing out of the windows. The dull thump of the music could be heard from outside on the front lawn. 

You stood on the sidewalk and tried to pull your outfit in a more decent position but Octavia just kept pulling it back so skin was exposed and your body was in the most provocative but accentuated way possible. 

“That’s a good way to get a girl in some trouble.” His voice came from behind. You turned to see Aetvir with a grin on his face. His face was so cute. There was a flutter in your chest when you looked at him. 

“That’s what I’ve been telling her.” You tried to stand in a pose that kept yourself more hidden but Octavia would have none of it. 

“She needs to have fun and what is more fun than a night where you can flirt, drink, and just dance?” Octavia bounced off towards the house entrance and waved at you guys to hurry up. 

Aetvir took your hand and placed it on his arm. “If you need me, just yell. I’ll come and save you.” He winks and laughs, a good feeling all around him. 

You loosen up just with him being here. He leads the way and parts the sea of people so the three of you can enter. Octavia goes running off like she once again owns the house so the two of you stand awkwardly in a corner. “This isn’t my scene.” You confess. 

“I come for Octavia. It makes me feel better. I wouldn’t want anything to happen.” He replies, leaning against the wall and then turning to eye you. “I’m all for a good time but this crew here...it worries me.” 

“Octavia warned me of them. But why come if that’s a problem? There’s plenty of other places to party. I’m also surprised a member of the neighborhood watch comes to drug filled parties.”

He shrugged. “It’s convenient for her. It’s easy to party here and then just wander home. It feels safe to her, I guess. She’s like a fart in the wind but like I said, I come to feel like she’s safe.” 

You burst out laughing. “What kind of comparison is that?” 

“One that will get a laugh out of you.” He shared your humor and laughed himself, watching as Octavia came dancing back to you guys with cups in hand. The three of you toasted your glasses and chatted back and forth. Your gaze shifted across the room as Octavia went into a story of dating some big bad guy one time while she was in high school. You looked away to watch the ever moving crowd sway back and forth. Sometime, the crowd shifted just right and you saw a group of guys in the dark. You saw maybe three shapes in all as people passed in front of your line of sight. It was only once the view was clear again that a cigarette illuminated his face. It was the burn of orange light that brought attention to that fact that he was covered in mismatched skin tones. You watched as he brought the cigarette to his face and that’s when your gazes collided. You sucked in your breath as it felt like time started to shift. People moved in and out of the crowd but neither of you looked away. Those blue eyes would haunt you. You watched his mouth open and slowly blow out rings of smoke. You felt like he was one of those that Mina was talking about. The one that you shouldn’t get to know. The one you shouldn’t get close to. The one. 

You were jerked back to reality as Octavia shouted at you to find a dance partner. Her slime hair bounced with every movement as she dragged the poor tiefling onto the dance floor. You held onto your cup was a tight grip and stared back into the liquid. You glanced towards where the mystery neighbor was only to find him and his crew was gone. You sucked in your breath slightly. Maybe that was a good thing. You shouldn’t have to worry about things like that. It really wasn’t a good idea to be here anyway. You watched Octavia and Aetvir getting down on the dance floor. They seemed like a good match. You wondered if they had ever gone down that road. 

You filled your head with imaginary gossip and fake scenarios. Maybe they had a too good night once and fell in the same bed. Maybe they dated and it just didn’t work out. What about they were too shy to even admit their feelings? You sighed softly and jumped almost out of your skin when someone gently touched your arm. You looked to your right at a too-good-looking-to-be-true kind of guy. He was one of those mermaids with sun bum tan lines and sea foam green eyes that could stop someone in their tracks. He raised a brunette eyebrow at you and cocks his head to the side with messy sun-bleached hair coming down from his head. “You look a little lost here. I can help ease the anxiety.” 

You decline. “I have no interest in what you’re selling.” 

He whistled. “Do you even know what I’m selling?” 

“I don’t need to know.” You hardened your face towards him. 

“You’re a little on the stiff side. It would loosen you up.” He leaned in and his eyes seemed to be swirling like the sea itself. “All it takes is once.”

You opened your mouth to respond but a different voice came out. “She said no. That’s how you get people in trouble.” 

The merman straightened his posture and stared behind you with a completely different air about him. “I wasn’t pushing my luck.” 

“You are now.” His voice was tough like a man that’s already had a hard life. It was on the raspy side with a really deep tone. It was one of those voices you’d hear maybe once or twice in your life that would make something in your body flick on. 

The merman shrugged his shoulders. “I get what you're laying down.” He looked back at you for a moment like he was trying to remember your face before slipping back into the crowd to meet a new wave of people. You turned to see who sent the fish swimming to find the man from earlier. 

The neighbor. 

“He won’t try you again.” His blue eyes bore holes into your body. You stared straight at him, almost chest to chest with him now. He was a hodgepodge of different skin tones and body parts. He looked to be sewn, stapled, and burnt together to turn into him an almost six foot seven man. You stared up at him with wide eyes and parted lips. His bone structure was almost sculpted   
lol and defined with high cheeks. His nose was on the larger side and it looked to have been broken several times. His pitch black hair was in a neat tapered cut with a fluffy top that looked to have product in it to keep it out of his face. One little strand was misbehaving and falling down his strong forehead. He had a large jaw to match his equally strong face. His features fit a more sour or maybe even a stern look on his face. You can’t imagine him looking happy for some reason. 

“I’m sorry to cause trouble.” You breathed the words out as you continued to stare at the random tones of skin. His face was tan until it hit from his left nostril to his right jaw and down his throat where it changed to a drastic pale tone. You could only assume the rest of his body was mismatched. You had seen people like him before. The words ‘science experiment’ flickered through your mind but you’d never meet someone that actually was. He stared down at you with disinterest it seemed. 

How uncomfortable. He was such a huge guy. With clothes on, he seemed pretty evenly matched all over with his limbs looking the same in length. You could only assume what he actually looked like underneath it all. Everyone had heard about the horror stories of what people can do in basements. 

“You look so distraught.” He commented as you realized you didn’t know how long you two hadn’t been talking. You assumed he was probably devouring your physical presence like you were him. Actually, that seemed arrogant of you to think that. You probably weren’t a blip on his radar. 

“I just...I don’t party.” You looked down at your cup. 

“That’s a good thing.” He pulled a cigarette out of a metal case and brought it to his full lips. You caught a glimpse of white teeth as he lit it up in front of you. He motioned the cigarette to you. 

You shook your head. “I don’t do that either.” 

“A real good girl in the flesh or is it just a disguise? Behind it all, are you just one event away from unfolding into whatever lays beneath your skin?” 

You blinked several times. “This is me.” 

“Is it?” He cocked his head to the side and brought the cigarette back to his mouth. “We are all snakes waiting to shed our skins. Some of us just shed that quicker. What about you? Has nothing happened to you yet?” 

“I…” You were lost for words. “I live a happy, normal life.” 

“Aren’t you bored?” He whispered to you, leaning down to you as smoke blew out of his nose and through some of the sewn cracks in his face. 

His deep voice echoed in your head. “No…”

“Really?” He stared at you, blue washing over your features. 

You chewed on your bottom lip. “I’m fine.” 

“I can offer you some excitement and some extra cash.” 

“I’m not a prostitute.” Your mind went to the worst. 

He laughed loudly. “All you have to do is be pretty and come party. If anyone wants a good time, just lead them to the boys.” 

“I don’t need to live that life.” You moved away from him, suddenly aware of how close the two of you were. 

“If you need me, you know where to find me. Isn’t that right, neighbor?” He grinned and you wondered how he could be so good looking while being like a living jigsaw puzzle. He turned and moved into the crowd as it parted like the sea as if it knew where he was automatically.


	3. Chapter 3

“Aren’t you bored?”

It haunts you. You go to school, you come home, you sleep. You go to school, you come home, you sleep. You go to school, you come home, you sleep. You go to school, you come home, you sleep. 

You lay in bed one night, staring at the ceiling as it seeps deep into your brain. You’ve drunk some wine. No, you drank a lot of wine. Octavia left a bottle behind on one of your many dinner dates. 

Are you boring or are you bored? You’re not a risk taker. You work hard. You do your work. You don’t half-ass anything. You aren’t late. You don’t take sick days. You don’t go on vacation. You like a normal life like everyone else. Why is that a problem? 

You go to school, you come home, you sleep. You go to school, you come home, you sleep. You go to school, you come home, you sleep. You go to school, you come home, you sleep. 

You roll over in your bed and yank a pillow to your face. Your scream erupts into the softness of your fabric. Why does that bother you? You’re not boring! You’re not bored! Your brain is hazy. You should be asleep. The bottle of wine should have put you right to sleep but you’re just left with your thoughts.

You sit up and get right out of bed. You throw the pillow across the room and hit a box you haven’t unpacked yet. You go to the window that faces his haunted home. You stare at it. Something inside you burns. Why does he haunt you? 

It’s been a few weeks since you’ve been at that party. Aetvir had swept in after getting away from Octavia and checked on you. You told him about the incident when he did not like. He pretty much took you and Octavia right back home. The three of you stayed in your room that night and talked until the early morning hours. It was nice. But life took over. Aetvir had school which so did you. Thursday was the only day you guys had similar class schedules so you went together but other than that, your schedules collided. Octavia worked through the week at some boutique so she wasn’t insanely busy. You guys could usually have dinner once a week but you kept your head buried in your studies for the most part. 

All you had to do was make it to the end of the semester. You yanked your robe off the wall and went into the living room, going for your slip-ons. Why was this pissing you off then? You only had a little bit longer to go. 

Bored? 

You stomped out of the house and huffed your way down the sidewalk until you came in front of his house and to his door. You began knocking on his door. What day was it? You looked around and thought of a better question. What time was it? You turned around, realizing what decision you had made in some sort of angry, half conscious, sleep deprived state. You were even drunk. “Shit.”   
The door swung open behind you which sent your whole body stiff. You had no plan! It was best to stick with your guns then. 

“Do you know what time it is?” 

You whipped back around to find the shirtless neighbor in all his sagging, grey joggers glory which left nothing to the imagination. Again, his body was completely different skin tones but now you see he’s covered in several old school style tattoos. His pants expose just enough of the definition of hips to show little black curls poking up from the very low waistband. His hair was sticking up in all sorts of places. There was a shiny silver chain hanging from his neck and a big watch from the hand that held his phone. 

“I do!” You squeaked out before clearing your voice after not speaking for so long. “I’m not bored!” 

His eyes rolled back in his head before he stood straight in his doorway and adjusted himself to focus better. “I’m sorry. Who are you?”

You gasped at how this whole situation was going down the drain. “I’m not bored!” You reiterated before waving your hands at him. You turned on a heel and started going down the stairs of his porch as carefully as possible as the wine was really swimming. 

“You’re the neighbor girl.” He called after you, pointed towards your new home. “I never caught your name.” 

You turned back around and looked at him. “Don’t tell people they live boring lives.” 

“I don’t think I said that but that’s on you if that’s how you took it. What I said versus what you hear is kind of like a verbal Rorschach. You take from the conversation what you need.” 

You blew a raspberry at him. “You don’t know me!” 

“I don’t have to.” He stepped out onto his porch and looked down at you. “I’m not the one coming to a stranger's house at unknown hours of the night, trying to prove a point. You’re just one of those people following a path that other people laid out for you.”

You inhaled air sharply and pulled the robe close around you, feeling small in your mistake. 

“Are you coming back inside?” A woman’s voice asked. You looked back to see a naked elf at the doorway of his house. The neighbor’s eyes were glued on you though as he raised a hand at her presence. 

“This was a mistake.” You grumbled and started a hurried pace back to your house. It was like being a scampering rat that just evaded the hawk. 

“You know where to find me,” He called after you. You made the mistake of looking back as he lit a cigarette up on the porch. “When you want me!” 

You wrinkled your nose and felt disgusted. Who at? Yourself. You were never going to drink again! You’ve never been more embarrassed in your life. You went back to your bed as quickly as possible and just sat down, letting the four walls slowly sink in. You were pissed at yourself. You turned and started punching your pillow. This was miserable! How could this happen to you! 

You really needed to sleep for the morning. You had important things to do. You laid your head back down on the beaten pillow and stared at the wall for a little bit until sleep finally washed over you in waves. 

The next morning was a race against time. You made it to school but some of your courses were a drag. The only solace you found was in the afternoon as you sat at the end of the front row to the course that you were an assistant for. It wasn’t like you were wanting to do anything teacher related but the job in the afternoon ending up working out perfectly to fill some requirements for your future applications as well as getting a little bit of job money. The school was happy enough to find a job for you here as well as your teacher helping out. 

You looked up from your tablet after plugging in the last quizzes scores to watch your boss/teacher go deep into his lecture. He was in his 50’s and on his second marriage but an overall good guy. He loved his job more than anything else but that was probably why he was on his second marriage. He was a clean human man with a simple, shortcut that was above his ears with a trimmed beard. He wore glasses but more to read things up close than anything else. He was probably about five foot eleven and had more of a dad body. It didn’t help that you always brought him his favorite doughnuts from the school cafe. You got up from your table and went to sit at his desk while you put the tablet up. He clicked to his last slide and droned up page numbers for everyone to read and reminded everyone of the quiz online. 

“Midnight deadline. Don’t mess around until 11:30, people! The early bird does indeed get the worm.” He watched as students started gathering their things before he turned the projector off and turned around to face you. 

“Quiz grades are in. The dinner reservation for your wife is done and on a sticky-note for you. I started the email to the student that hasn’t been showing up but you’ll need to say what you want to about it. Just be nice.” You gave the professor a smile and patted the tablet on the desk. “Anything else before we tidy up for the day?” 

“You are an endless blessing to me. How can I ever repay you? And what will I do in just a few weeks when you leave me?” Your professor smiles down at you as he still holds the remote to the projector. His fingers run over the buttons slowly as if trying to memorize them. 

“I don’t know, Mr. Hith.” You got up from the chair and let him move to where he belonged. “I’m sure someone else will do a great job at your assistant.” 

“We’ll be having a barbecue here soon, like the staff, assistants, stuff like that as a farewell to the end of the year and to our graduates. Would you come?” 

You didn’t hesitate. “Of course. You can send me the address at your leisure.” 

He seemed happy with your answer. “Great! I’ll send you all the information when I get home tonight. I promise not to forget.” 

“I’ll write you a sticky note.” You grabbed the pen and paper. 

“That’s probably for the best.”

You left school feeling light as a feather. Last night had only caused you a bad night of sleep but you were thankful that it didn’t carry into your day. You were leaving the school with your bag. There was a slick looking car on the curb with a couple college kids lurking around it. It was a dam shame you needed to stay on the sidewalk to go to the bus stop. You inhaled deeply and walked by, a thousand thoughts flooding your system like they were all probably staring at you. You know deep down that’s not what is actually happening but what can you say? Social anxiety is a hell of a thing even in small increments. 

“There’s my little early bird.” The deep rumble of a voice caught your ears. 

You jerked around and looked back to see the neighbor, getting out of the car that you can see is a 1955 Chevy Bel-Air. A very expensive car bought from very expensive drugs. 

“I knew you’d be a school girl.” He leaned against the top of the roof as it seemed to be the surfer bro was in the middle of the crowd of kids, chatting them up. 

“I’m going to pretend like we’ve never spoken.” You turned back and started back on your walk 

“Hey,” His tone was soft. You felt like he was right behind you. “We all make embarrassing mistakes, right? You can’t act like we don’t know each other. You’ve been in my house.” 

You didn’t turn around this time. “I won’t make that mistake again.” 

“You know where I am when you want me. I’m just a helpful kind of guy!” 

You looked at him this time with an annoyance dripping from your features. “Seriously?” 

“I could take you home. We live right next to each other. You wouldn’t have to ride the bus today.” He was behind you but several feet away. 

“I don’t ride with strangers.” 

He closed the distance between the two of you and put his hand out for you to shake. “I’m Dae. I’m your neighbor and I can be your chauffeur if you’d let me.” 

He was charming, you had to admit that but he also pissed you off. You tentatively reached for his hand and shook it while introducing yourself. “I just don’t know if I trust you enough to let you take me home.” 

“You can call somebody and talk to them the entire time. I have no interest in kidnapping you. I don’t need to kidnap women.” 

You couldn’t help but laugh. “I can tell by the naked elf this morning.” 

“Just a friend.” He waved it off. “So, what do you say, huh? Let us start brand new.” 

This motherfucker really was charming. “Fine. But I’m keeping my bag very close to me.” 

He raised his hands up in surrender. “A woman’s bag got nothing to do with me.” Dae backed off and went back to the passenger side of the car. “Hit the road, Tullius.” 

The surfer bro from earlier waved his hands at the kids. “Remember that shit.” He turned to eye you before looking at him. There was a question on his face as you passed him before Dae opened the door for you. You slid in and he closed the door for you before making a comment to Tullius before going back to the driver’s side. The whole car shifted with his weight and you suddenly realized he was probably made of pure muscles. You fussed with your hair for a moment before looking for the seatbelt. You never knew where they were going to be in these old cars. 

“Let me help.” His warm breath was on your skin and you instantly turned to see him face to face with you. Dae was an overwhelming presence. He was such one of those huge guys. He found the seat belts that were attached to the bottom of the seat instead of the top and buckled you in. You were absorbed with him being so close. You inhaled his cologne, a sweet but clean smell that you found pleasant. He looked back towards your face while he was close before he pulled back. “Safety first.” 

“Of course.” You murmured as he started up the car. 

He did what was promised. You arrived safely back at home after a very peaceful ride. He pulled into his garage and shut the car off before turning back to you. “Do you need me to unbuckle you?” 

“No, I got it.” You rushed the words out and quickly made easy work of your buckle before getting out of the car. You bounced out of the garage as quickly as possible just in case he was a sneaky serial killer and turned back to face him as he left the garage with the door shutting behind him. He lit a cigarette as he made his way back to you. “You survived, little bird.” 

“I did indeed! Well, thank you so much.” 

“I’m at the school a lot if you ever need a ride.” 

You stopped your face from moving as it instantly wanted to make a stupid look at him. “I’m sure for heinous reasons.” 

“I’ll leave that to the mystery.” He starts to go to his front porch. “Do you want me to walk you over?” 

You bounced in your step and started leaving, realizing you were taking up his time. “I won’t bother you with that. Thank you again.” 

“Girls need somebody to protect them in their lives.” 

You looked back at Dae from over your shoulder. You could see the glow from his smoking. “I’m not helpless.” 

“You don’t gotta be strong all the time. It’s okay to want somebody.” 

You fully turned to look at him this time while being lost for words. He blew smoke on his porch and let it create a cloud around him. He stared you down with those deep, intense blue eyes of his that were so unnatural. Anything you thought of saying to him, you felt like he was just going to throw back at you. You shuffled in one spot for a moment before just sighing. “Have a good evening. Sleep well.” 

He seemed to chuckle at that as you walked next door to the Manor East. “I hope you sleep well too.”


End file.
